How fast should you reply to a new lead?
Updated November 1, 2026
Reply in minutes, and within the hour at the latest. Research published in Harvard Business Review found that firms that contacted a new lead within an hour were nearly 7 times as likely to qualify it as firms that waited longer. You don't have to drop tools: an automatic text that goes out in seconds counts as the first reply, and you call back properly when you can.
What the research found
Firms that contacted a new lead within an hour were nearly 7 times as likely to qualify it as firms that waited longer, and 23% of the companies studied never responded at all.
Source: Oldroyd, McElheran and Elkington, "The Short Life of Online Sales Leads", Harvard Business Review, March 2011
The study looked at how quickly companies answered web enquiries, and the gap was large. Leads cool fast: the person who filled in your form at lunch may have called someone else by the evening.
Reply in seconds without stopping work
- Send an automatic text the moment a form comes in, saying you got it and when you'll call.
- Do the same for missed calls with a missed-call text-back.
- Give yourself a target for the real reply, such as within an hour during working hours.
- After hours, promise a specific time the next morning, and keep the promise.
Hi [Name], thanks for reaching out to [Business]! I'm on a job right now and will call you by [time]. Is this the best number?
Thanks for your message, [Name]. We're closed for the night, but I'll call you first thing tomorrow at 8. If it's urgent, reply URGENT.
Test your own speed
Only 56% of callers to businesses speak with a person.
Source: Invoca Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report 2026 (70 million calls)
Fill in your own website form and call your own number from a different phone after hours. Time how long it takes to hear back, and what the customer sees while they wait. That is the experience every new lead gets.
Find your biggest leak first
How fast does your business really answer? The 60-second quiz checks it with the others and tells you what to fix first.
Questions owners ask
What is speed to lead?
It is the time between a customer reaching out, by call, form or message, and your first reply. Faster replies win more jobs because the customer is still deciding and hasn't booked anyone else yet.
Does an automatic text count as a reply?
It counts as the first reply: it tells the customer you got their message and when you'll be in touch. Follow it with a real call or text as soon as you can.
What if leads come in at night?
Send an automatic reply that promises a specific time the next morning, then call at that time. A clear promise keeps many people from calling around.
How do I know how fast my business replies now?
Test it: fill in your own form and call your own number from another phone. Note how long it takes to get a reply. The 60-second quiz also checks this.
Sources
- Oldroyd, McElheran and Elkington, "The Short Life of Online Sales Leads", Harvard Business Review, March 2011
- Invoca Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report 2026 (70 million calls)